The Weird Stuff That Happens When You Sign Up for Food Stamps

It's a cliché of course, but no doubt some of the worst experiences with government bureaucracy really do start and end at the DMV. There are just so many ways to go wrong there: You get in the wrong line. You bring the wrong paperwork. Your birth certificate is photocopied when it must be the original. You need a utility bill, but you don't have one yet, because who has a utility bill within 10 days of moving to a new address? And what's this, you don't know the exact odometer reading on your car?

But none of this is anything compared to what it's like to sign up for food stamps.